Improvement in harvesting-machines



UNTTED STATES ,PATENT Trice. l

IMPROVEMENT IN lHARVF.,winmx-tanciaINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 23,97! dated May 10, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HosEA WILLARD and ROBERT Ross, both of Vergennes, in the county of Addison and State ot' Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain and Grass Harvesters; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side sectional View of our invention, taken in the 'line x fr, Fig. 3; Fig. 2, a back view ot' the same, the central shoe being bisected, as indicated at y y; Fig. 3, a plan or top view of the same; Fig. 4, a detached section of the innermost shoe; Fig. 5, a sectional plan view ofthe saine.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre spending parts in the several figures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the main frame of the machine, which is of rectangular form and mounted on two wheels, B B. C is a draft-pole attached to the frame A.

To the back traverse-bar, c, of the frame A,

. and to the outer side of said bar, a metal bar,

D, is attached by a screw-bolt, b,which passes through an ear or lug, bx, attached to the inner end of said bar. (See Figs. 1, 2, and 3.) rlhe inner end of the bar D is elastic or is formed ofa spring, 1)',which may be made separate and secured in any proper Way to the rigid portion. The spring b is sufciently elastic to allow the bar D to rise and fall. On the bar l), near its outer end, two friction-rollers, c c, are placed, said friction-rollers being tted in or to uprights or standards d onthe bar. Both rollers and standards are shown in Fig. 3. In the outer side of the bara ofthe frame a metal plate, F, is tted ilushJ rlhe outer end ot' the plate is of asegmentform, as shown clearly at e in Fig. 2, said segment extending both above and below the bara, and being fitted beltween the friction-rollers c c. The outer end ofthe bar D is forked, and each prong j'has a horizontaljournal, g, formed'on it, said journals being titted loosely in ledges or bearings h t', attached to a shoe, F. The outer part of the bar D has a rod, i', attached to it by a pivot, and this cord 'i' passes up through a spring, h,which is attached to the main frame A, the upper end of rod i having a screwthread cut or formed on it to receive a thumbnut, fix. (See Figs. 1, 2, and 3.) The front ledge or bearing, h, is permanently attachedto the shoe F, and may he cast with it; but the back bearing, t', is made detached, and is secured to the shoe between guard-ledgesjj, a

cast with the shoe F, and a hole is made inbar G to receive it.

0n the bar D a lever, H, is placed, o being its fulcrum-pin. The outer end of this lever is bent or extends down at right anglesto its other portion, and works through an opening in bar D and directly over a projection, 0X, on the shoe F, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. The opposite or inner end of the lever H has a chain or cord, p', attached, said cord or chain passing over a pulley, q, on bar c, and having its end attached to the lower end of a lever, I, which is 'attached by a fulcrum-pin, if, to the back part of the draft-pole C. y

To the lever I a curved bar, J, is attached by ajoint or hinge, s, as shown clearly in Fig. l. This curved bar, in consequence ot' being attached to the lever by a joint, s, may be moved or adjusted so as to form a bearingsurface for the cord or chain p to rest on, as may be desired.

To the finger-bar G, and between the shoe F and the outer dividinglshoe, K, there is a metal socket, L, attached. In this socket a wooden shoe, M, isplaced and secured by setsscrews t, said screws passing horizontally through vertical loblong slots u in the socket into the shoe M. (See Fig. 2.)

lo the outer end of the finger-bar G a dividing-shoe, K, is permanently secured. This shoe is constructed in a novel way, and as follows On the upper surface of the shoe a curved vertical plate, c, is formed, said plate extending from the front to the back end of the shoe, and having its front end or point on a line with the outer edge of the shoe, said ledge gradually extending inward or to the inner side of the shoe until it reaches the extreme inner edge at the back end of the shoe, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. The under side of the shoe has itsl part near its outer edge beveled, as shown.

clearly in Fig. 2, leaving a bearing-surface, a", some distance within the outer edge of the shoe.

From the above description it will be seen that the segment e will retain the linger-bar G in proper'position, serving as an effectual brace to both the bar D and finger-bar G. By drawing the lever I backward the chain or cordp will, through the medium of' the lever H and projection o", raise bodily the lingerbar G and cutter thereon. In ordinary cases where the machine is at work the curved bar J is thrown upward or back, as shown in red, Fig. l, so that the lowe'r end of the lever I will act upon the cord or chain p, and a considerable leverage be obtained, with of course a corresponding length vot' movement of the lingerbaras itis raised or lowered. In case, however, there are large obstacles to pass over, or'when the machineis being moved from place to place, the bar J is moved down, as shown in black, Fig. l, and the cord or chain p works over said bar, producinga quicker movement of the finger-bar as it is raised, and enabling it to be raised higher than when the bar is moved npward.

By having the finger-bar G attached to the shoe F, as described, it is rmly connected and eiectually prevented from being casually loosened, and by loosening the bearing 'i and placing wedgesj' underneath it, as shown in Fig. 4, the front end of the lipgenbar and sickle may be thrown more or less upward, as desired.

By adjusting the shoe M higher or lower in the socket L the finger-bar may be placed at any desired height for cutting grain, and by having the outermost shoe, K, constructed as shown the standing grass adjoining the swath or cut will be left perfectly erect, for the curved ledge c will gather in the grass, and the bearing-surface a", extending inward under the tingen-bar G, will be sufficiently broad to have a proper bearing-surface, while the beveled outer edge, u, will not allow the shoe to act upon the grass.

A very essential feature in the invention is the spring h', for this spring retains or holds the finger-bar, transferring its weight chiey tQ the main frame A, it merely allowing the finger-bar to skim lightly over the'ground and with the least possible degree of friction; and the spring b may, by adjusting or turning the ear or lug I)X and securing it by the bolt' b, be secured in a more or less inclined position, so as to temper or regulate its stiffness.

Having described our invention, we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The arrangement and combination ofthe hinged bar J with the lever I, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

2. The arrangement and combination ot' the adjustable spring b', bar D, adjustable rod i', spring h', and finger-bar Gr, as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

HOSEA WILLARD. ROBERT ROSS.

Witnesses:

GEO. J. STANNARD, JN. W. NEWTON. 

